1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to electronic imaging devices and more particularly to a system and method for retrieving capability parameters in an electronic imaging device.
2. Description of the Background Art
In conventional computer systems, when an interrogating computer wants information from a remote peripheral device, the computer may need to know the capability parameters of the peripheral device or at least the structure of the capability parameters. Capability parameters are features or functions which control the performance and utility of a given peripheral device, and which may either have several values for selection by the user or have a fixed value. As an example, early disk drives required the host computer to know the number of surfaces, heads, sectors, and tracks before communicating with the disk. Later disks such as the Small Computer System Interconnect (SCSI) and Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) types allow the host to interrogate the disk for the numerical values of these parameters, but the host still must know ahead of time that the disk is organized by surfaces, heads, sectors, and tracks.
Digital cameras are a relatively recent invention. One of their attractions is their ability to be connected to an arbitrary host computer for image editing and display of captured images. In order for the host computer to perform these functions with the digital camera, the host may require the technical capability parameters of the camera. For example, the host may need to know parameter ranges for lens focus, exposure settings, color balance, and many other capability parameters. Because different digital cameras vary widely in their capabilities and features, there is no standardized set of capability parameters.
Since the set of capability parameters differs from camera to camera, it may be necessary to input the number and structure of the capability parameters into each host computer when that computer connects with a particular digital camera. Several conventional methods are currently used to enter this data. These methods include installation of the data from a floppy disk, manual entry of the data from a printed manual, or downloading from a camera manufacture's world-wide-web page. While none of these methods are particularly onerous for the camera owner's own computer, they limit the portability and flexibility of use which is inherent in digital cameras. The user of a digital camera would likely prefer to be able to plug the camera into host computers at the homes of friends, at the office, at customer sites and at many other locations. Each of the current methods would require the camera user to bring along either a floppy disk or the camera manual, or to ensure Internet access for potential use sites.
It is also possible that the digital camera user will wish to interrogate the camera for its capability parameters from the user interface of the external host computer. There may be occasions where the user will not require the host computer to manipulate the digital camera using application software but that the user will merely need to view the capability parameter data. The user could view this data if it were simply passed through from the digital camera to the viewing screen of the external host computer. However there currently exists no method for interrogating an unknown digital camera without knowing the capability parameters first.
Finally, it is possible that applications running in the computer of the digital camera will need to know the capability parameters of the digital camera. The application may either require the capability parameters for setting and controlling the digital camera, or the application may simply need to present the capability parameters to the user of the digital camera on the Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) of the digital camera. Using existing methods for obtaining the capability parameters requires user intervention, either through manual entry of capability parameters or through the attachment of a data storage device such as a flash memory card. This requirement for user intervention interferes with the potential flexibility of the digital camera.
Therefore, for all of the foregoing reasons, an improved system and method are needed for obtaining a set of capability parameters for an electronic imaging device.